Hi guys, I'm after someones help or advice. I've recently bought suite 8 and i'm interested in producing dubstep. I've watched just about every tutorial on youtube there is but my tunes all seem to be lacking something. I was wondering if there was anyone on here with similar musical tastes that'd be willing to give me a few pointers/a bit of mentoring. I've got no problems sending project files for you to look at (don't know how to do that yet though, so i'll need help with that too) if that'd be the easiest way. I just need some help getting the idea's in my head out and into actual sound becaise i'm starting to get a bit frustrated with it.

If you can and are willing to help then massive thanks in advance, if not, cheers for reading anyway.
Take it easy,
Hutch.

iHutch wrote:Hi guys, I'm after someones help or advice. I've recently bought suite 8 and i'm interested in producing dubstep. I've watched just about every tutorial on youtube there is but my tunes all seem to be lacking something. I was wondering if there was anyone on here with similar musical tastes that'd be willing to give me a few pointers/a bit of mentoring. I've got no problems sending project files for you to look at (don't know how to do that yet though, so i'll need help with that too) if that'd be the easiest way. I just need some help getting the idea's in my head out and into actual sound becaise i'm starting to get a bit frustrated with it.

If you can and are willing to help then massive thanks in advance, if not, cheers for reading anyway.
Take it easy,
Hutch.

I'm not sure mate, sound wise it is sounds "lacking" I really can't think of another way to describe it. I've uploaded a few songs on soundcloud here, listening will probably give you a better idea of what I mean.

Also, LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN! What is happening in the tracks you like that liven things up?

Swooshes/noise in the background
Glitchy ear candy
Build ups using reverse crashes
Big drops
Subtle / mini drops
Taking instruments in and out of the mix (kick, whole kit, synths, background)
Using more than just 'OMG I canz wobblz!'
Changing the beat around

Read Tarekith's tutorials, then listen to two songs 5 times each and write down everything you can hear to make the sound interesting.

Cheers AceLuby, I'll have a look at that now. I think one of my main problems is I've learnt how to do the stuff in tutorial videos but that is only 1 type of sound, I don't really know how to bring it all together, if you know what i mean.

iHutch wrote:Cheers AceLuby, I'll have a look at that now. I think one of my main problems is I've learnt how to do the stuff in tutorial videos but that is only 1 type of sound, I don't really know how to bring it all together, if you know what i mean.

Spend a day w/ your favorite synth and make 100 sounds w/ it and save each one. Not only will you learn the nuances of that synth, but you'll also make some unique sounds to start off something that sounds 'you' instead of like the tutorial.

To learn to bring it all together read the tutorials, listen to a lot of tracks and keep practicing. Don't be afraid of letting go of a track either.

I don't think I consider anything I've written yet as "done", more a case of I can't think of anything else to do with it or don't know how to do something else with it. I don't tend to linger on one track though, if I get to a point where I hit a brick wall I move on to something else. I am practising like mad though, basically every spare minute i've got I'm on ableton messing about, reading or watching tutorials.

iHutch wrote:I'm not sure mate, sound wise it is sounds "lacking" I really can't think of another way to describe it.

I think it's because all of your tracks are just drums and wobble. That's all I hear. Don't be afraid to add some more sounds to what you are doing. Your tracks need some life. Add some changes. Add some different sounds. Add some drops.

Listen to this and note how many sounds, changes, and drops he uses to give his track life.

from what I hear on your soundcloud you're starting to get the hang of making some of the sounds you like, now you need to learn about mixing and arrangement because it sounds like everything is just thrown there.

Check out Tarekith's tutorials as mentionned above, getting your head around those should take a while. Have fun, remember to rest your ears and learn to listen.

iHutch wrote:I'm not sure mate, sound wise it is sounds "lacking" I really can't think of another way to describe it.

I think it's because all of your tracks are just drums and wobble. That's all I hear. Don't be afraid to add some more sounds to what you are doing. Your tracks need some life. Add some changes. Add some different sounds. Add some drops.

Listen to this and note how many sounds, changes, and drops he uses to give his track life.

I wouldn't even know where to start with something like that. Was there even any drums in there? When i start something i always start with the drums and use that as the backbone of the track, if there was no drums i'd be screwed! How does benga use all those different sounds, get them to sound right together and get them to form a rhythm?

hey man after listening to your first two tracks the thing that really stood out for me were the lack of melodies. You've got your drums and effects/wobbles but theres nothing really carrying it all together for me. I think you could really benefit from trying to lay down some basslines and melodies/harmonies, because it would help tie together everything you have in the track. for that harsh wobble dubstep sound you're going for i think messing with a variety of synths could help give your tracks a fuller sound (i have a lot of fun with synth leads to drive the low end). Definitely experiment with synth leads, pads and a alot of the other keyboard effects loaded in ableton's library.

Also, while it would take a lot of time to explain in depth techniques involved with mixing, i do recommend you use some reverb over your tracks to create a sense of space within your mix. This forum is an invaluable resource for this topic (so research!) but try to keep in mind that every piece of your track should have it's own distinct place in the mix, whether that be closer or distant and subtle. Even though wobbles are a very fun sound and interesting, they shouldn't necessarily overpower your drums and everything else on your track.

iHutch wrote:I wouldn't even know where to start with something like that. Was there even any drums in there? When i start something i always start with the drums and use that as the backbone of the track, if there was no drums i'd be screwed! How does benga use all those different sounds, get them to sound right together and get them to form a rhythm?

I can't tell if you are joking or not. Are you saying you really don't hear any drums in the Benga track? He definitely has a kick, several different snares, and hand claps. Sometimes sarcasm doesn't come across when posting in a forum. Were you being serious or not?

The reason the tracks are lacking are that there's only drums and wobble going on - there's nothing else there to keep the ear interested. You need more layers, more elements, more STUFF to fill out the sound.

Right now you've got a blank canvas with a couple of shapes on it, but for the most part it's still almost totally blank. You need to fill it with stuff to make it a complete piece